The present invention relates to inflatable airbeds; specifically to a multi-chamber airbed.
Inflatable airbeds (i.e., xe2x80x9cairbedsxe2x80x9d) are well known in the art and have proven themselves to be very useful. On the one hand, when there is no need to sleep on the inflatable airbed, the owner may simply deflate the airbed (i.e., let all the air out), fold it up, and then store it away in a closet or basement. On the other hand, when guests arrive or when the owner of the airbed takes a trip to a place where there is no bed to sleep on, the owner may simply inflate the airbed and sleep on it.
Current inflatable airbeds have a single chamber, meaning that air can travel anywhere inside the airbed since there is no barrier sealing off one portion of the airbed from another. Therefore, when multiple people sleep or sit on the airbed, air is constantly being moved from one portion of the airbed to another as the weight of the person is shifted.
For example, suppose person A is sleeping on the left side of an inflated queen size airbed. Because there is currently no weight on the right side of the airbed, air would naturally flow toward the unweighted right side of the airbed until an equilibrium pressure condition is established (i.e., the right side cannot hold anymore air). This shifting of air to the right side consequently would cause the right side of the airbed to rise. However, coils within the airbed prevent the right side from rising beyond a certain height.
Next, suppose person B wants to sleep on the now elevated right side of the airbed. As person B descends onto the right side of the airbed, this new weight causes a redistribution of the air back toward the left side of the airbed where person A is sleeping. Air flows back to the left side of the air bed, causing the left side to rise due to the newly added air pressure underneath. This unexpected elevation in the left side of the airbed may even awake person A. Furthermore, each time person A or B moves around during their sleep and causes a shift in weight on the airbed, air will also be shifted arounded inside the entire airbed. This constant movement of air inside the entire airbed in response to weight shifts causes different portions of the airbed to rise and fall until the weight movement stops. This constant rocking, elevation or depression of various portions of the airbed every time one person moves can disrupt a good night""s sleep.
In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention reduces the effect of weight movement by one or more persons sleeping or sitting on the airbed by providing for a multi-chamber airbed. In the multi-chamber airbed of the present invention, there are at least two chambers inside the airbed, each chamber having its own air valve and representing its own portion of the airbed. The chambers are completely sealed off from each other by a barrier or septum within the airbed. Thus, when one person shifts his or her weight on the portion of the airbed over one chamber, air does not flow into the other chamber or portion of the airbed.